Hillmen of Kalkechián
The Hillmen of Kalkechián, also known as the Kalkechián or, more correctly, the Kalkechía, were a faction of nargds that inhabited the south of Nargd'Hcuthd and the north of Palmu. They were fierce fighters and were among the first on Eusiac to use horses as mounts for war. They opposed the ael'ùvah during their colonisation of Palmu. The spoke a language known as Álk. Etymology Their name is the translation of what the ael'ùvah called them. To them, they were known as vos altirhiärs i Calcécíän. Kalkechián is the nargdoc name for the mountainous region at the north of Palmu. They were also known as the hiärs iyu stéppes. ''By those that spoke Máigugúralgami'ugú, they were known as the ''galgechi, which came from máigkugúgalgechi, meaning many-who-are-tribe, and many other tribes derive the name for the Kalkechián from this word. In Dirich, during the time of the Mithraleenean Empire, the hillmen were known as galgé, galeg and galchi. '' They sometimes call themselves the ''kalkechiá. They were known by the ael'ùvah of the Isle of Orcle as the carcesíän. They were known to the Chúsi Igaari as nmáko-igaari. History Early History The hillmen can trace their origins back to the first nargds. When the nargds spread out, they were the first group to head south. They came to rest in Palmu, where they resided for some time. For a few hundred years, they were at relative peace, until other nargds headed south, escaping from the ugluh. Some settled in Dir; others continued and settled in Sypathyra. Contact with the ael'ùvah A few thousand years after settling in Kalkechián, the hillmen discovered the ael'ùvah. The ael'ùvah had colonised the southern areas of Palmu. The hillmen viewed this as an invasion sent by the enemy of their gods and fought the ael'ùvah fiercely. The ael'ùvah fought with them and, for a time, pushed them back to Kalkechián. The hillmen took their revenge by sacking Palmu and a lot of towns and villages around that area. The ael'ùvah were reluctant to enter into a large-scale war with the hillmen, one which would result in much death and destruction, and instead decided to bargain with the hillmen. In return for a ceasefire, the ael'ùvah gave the hillmen freedom and a large sum of gold. Later History For several thousand years, the hillmen continued to dwell in Kalkechián, however, their numbers slowly dwindled. The gold given to them by the ael'ùvah had been spent long ago. Many became mercenaries while others moved to the cities in search of a better life. Despite all this loss, the hillmen continued to live for a long time. By the time of the formation of the Mithraleenean Empire, a few hundred people still claimed descent to the Hillmen of Kalkechián and followed their ways, if in a diluted form. Culture and Religion The Hillmen of Kalkechián were unique amongst the nargds. They only had one god, a spirit of nature who was the creator of all and everything. She was the spirit of nature and of good. In their belief, evil was a lack of the spirit. They thought that part of the spirit was in all things that had the ability to be good. Due to the fact that the spirit was thought to be female, women were held in high regard in the culture of the hillmen. They also believed that horses were the physical representation of their god. They believed that horses were a link between the spirit and the world. It was considered a sin in their culture to harm a horse. Unlike in other cultures, where horses were buried with their riders, riders were buried with their horses, for it was thought that the horse would ride them to heaven. Category:Cultures